


a trip to the country

by putthatbottledowngrantaire



Series: days in the life [1]
Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Gen, I just really needed to write some fluff, M/M, Picnic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-11
Updated: 2013-09-11
Packaged: 2017-12-26 07:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/963014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/putthatbottledowngrantaire/pseuds/putthatbottledowngrantaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jehan decides that he wants to go and see some of nature and so all of the Amis get dragged along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a trip to the country

**Author's Note:**

> My multichapter got way too angsty to write and so much plot man so here is some lovely fluffy fluff.
> 
> I liked writing it at least, so I hope you enjoy reading it too <3

‘Who ever the hell set my alarm clock is going to die!’ Grantaire shouts from his bedroom, eyes still closed, determined to ignore the world’s existence and go back to sleep.

‘You love me too much, you wouldn’t!’  comes the reply shout from the kitchen.

‘Courf, what the fuck are you doing here?!’

Apparently sleep is no longer an option as Grantaire hears footsteps coming towards his closed door.  Next minute, the light has been thrown on and a much too smiley Courfeyrac is standing in the doorway.  Grantaire groans and throws a pillow at his new arch enemy, getting another pillow and placing it firmly over his head. ‘I hate you.  It’s seven thirty and I hate you.’

‘No you do-oooon’t’ Courfeyrac sings

‘Pretty sure I do-oooo’ Grantaire replies in the same sing-song voice, muffled by the pillow, ‘Still don’t know why you are here.  It is only to torture me?’

‘We are going out today, grumplebum. Roadtrip!’

‘Like hell we are’

Courf ignores the cynic’s comment. ‘So get up, we have pancakes.’

‘Cosette’s here?’

‘Yes – she heard your potty-mouth, mister.’ Grantaire waves a hand at Courfeyrac dismissively, ‘She’s in the kitchen with Marius and Jehan.  The dear puppy has been complimenting her cooking for the last half an hour.  It’s sickening.’  He puts two fingers in his mouth and pretends to gag.

‘Didn’t pick you for one with a gag reflex, Courf,’ Grantaire jokes, peeking out from under his pillow.

Courfeyrac points a finger at him, ‘Rude.’

Grantaire chuckles, his eyes safely back under the pillow and away from the light before that too is dragged cruelly away from him and his friend plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek and slaps his arse, escaping the bedroom to avoid the arms swinging at him and the alarm clock that follows him out the door, yelling over his shoulder at Grantaire, ‘Don’t be a spoilsport!  Everyone is coming!’

‘Arsehole,’ Grantaire mutters to himself, sighing and slowly letting his legs fall off the bed and dragging himself into a sitting position.  He rubs at his eyes and tries to not think about how much his head is throbbing from his hangover as he takes two attempts to get himself off the bed and into a standing position, constantly questioning why he is friends with the people he is friends with.

He shuffles out of his room and towards the kitchen, still in only his boxers.  _If Courf wants me awake this early_ , Grantaire thinks _, then he shouldn’t expect me to be dressed_.

‘There better be coffee’ he states, plonking himself down on a stool at the kitchen bench next to Marius as a mug is placed in front of him.  He wraps his hands around the warmth and breathes it in.

‘Dude, there is a lady present!’ Courfeyrac shields his eyes from Grantaire’s torso, still with his smile plastered across his face.

‘Nothing I haven’t seen before,’ Cosette comments, Marius squeaking slightly, making his sip of tea go down the wrong pipe.  She leans across the bench top to give Grantaire a kiss on the forehead and places a plate of pancakes in front of him before going over to her boyfriend to give him some firm hits on the back to stop him spluttering.  She ends up rubbing circles and tracing her fingers up and down his spine.  Courf pretends to gag again and Grantaire can’t help but smile.

Jehan pads back into the room from his own bedroom, ‘At least you aren’t Grantaire’s roommate.  I have seen more of him than I ever had need or want to see,’ smirking at Grantaire.

Grantaire winks in return, ‘Occupational hazard, Jean Prouvaire’

‘That implies I get paid to live with you.  I _should_ get paid to live with you. Alas, I actually pay half the rent and food so really I’m paying to live with you.  Where’s the fairness in that?’ Jehan presses his lips together to control his smile, coming up behind his roommate and throwing an arm around Grantaire’s shoulders. Grantaire rubs at his friend’s arm with one hand, shovelling some of Cosette’s cooking into his own mouth with the other.  _The woman is a saint_ , he thinks as he chews.  Jehan releases Grantaire and sits back at his own plate, already three quarters finished.

‘So where are we going then?’ Grantaire asks

‘Don’t talk with your mouth full and we don’t know really’ Cosette answers, still rubbing Marius’ back

‘We are planning on just driving for a while and finding a spot,’ Courfeyrac continues, ‘Jehan’s idea’, to which the poet smiles proudly around the fork in his mouth.

‘And you got everyone to go along with that lack of a plan’

‘Yup’, Jehan responds, the same smile on his lips

‘Enjolras was really the only one who wasn’t super keen,’ says Courf, which Grantaire scoffs at.  Enjolras really isn’t one for spontaneity.

‘But Combeferre talked him around soon enough.  Sometimes, I swear that man is magic’ Marius chimes into the conversation – completely unaware of the knowing looks everyone had turned on Grantaire, and how the man himself had become very focussed on eating his pancakes, not making eye contact - eyes closed and food forgotten, too relaxed by Cosette’s hand to care about breakfast anymore. 

Grantaire looks up and pulls a face at him, amused by how engrossed Marius is, which he obviously can’t see, though the look isn’t lost on Cosette who pokes her tongue out.  Grantaire simply smiles back at her, chewed pancake in front of his teeth.  She rolls her eyes at the man-child, ‘Charming, R’, stopping her patterns and going to cook a couple more pancakes and pour coffee.  Marius makes a little whine as she stops and his eyes fly open making everyone chuckle at their resident puppy.  Though he tried, Marius can’t keep the pouty disappointed look off his face.

‘D’aw, it will be okay Marius,’ says Grantaire, ruffling the man’s curls.

‘Enough of that,’ Cosette scolds. Grantaire lift his hands in the air innocently.

‘So back to the actual topic of conversation,’ Courfeyrac speaks up from behind Jehan, where he has positioned himself to run his fingers through Jehan’ hair and massage his scalp, ‘Sheesh! It’s a sad sign when I have to get us back on topic’, and shakes his head in mock disappointment at his friends.

‘Well, Grantaire you are coming with us in Courf’s car’, Jehan says adding, ‘which _I_ am driving’ looking up at the man standing over him, pointing and squinting his eyes.  Courf looks hurt and clutches his chest, taking a hand momentarily out of Jehan’s hair.

‘What are you saying, Jehan?’

‘You know exactly what I’m talking about’

Courfeyrac huffs and puts his hands back to work on Jehan’s head. ‘Anyway, yeah, I’m driving all of us.  Combeferre is taking Enjolras, when he can drag him out of the house, and they are taking Eponine – I think Eponine is already with Ferre and Enjolras for breakfast - and Feuilly is coming with Bahorel.  Joly is driving Lesgles in his own car. A’ Jehan holds up a finger, ‘because no way was Bossuet allowed in anyone else’s car, and B’ – Jehan counts out another finger – ‘Joly is back to not trusting any of the rest of us behind the wheel’  He looks up again and glares at Courfeyrac who bends down and plants a kiss on his forehead.

‘Geez Courf, what did you do to make Joly go like that again?’ Grantaire chuckles, finishing his pancakes and focussing again on the lifeblood that is strong black coffee

‘It was a misunderstanding okay?!’

‘He won’t even get in the car with Combeferre?’ Cosette asks Jehan

‘Not even Combeferre’

‘Fuck, Courf.  Whatever it was – don’t to it again.’

‘I don’t make promises I can’t keep.’

 

 

***

 

 

With Jehan in the driver’s seat, Courfeyrac rides shotgun.  Grantaire drew the short straw and has to sit with Marius and Cosette in the back.

‘Hands off each other or I’ll sit in the middle of you two’ he tells the lovebirds as they walk to the car

‘Like that would stop us,’ Cosette smiles sweetly at Grantaire and then winks and laughs at the disappointed look on Grantaire’s face

‘Dear Lark, I expected better of you.  We had such high hopes when you started dating Pontmercy – ah, to go back to being blissfully ignorant...’

‘Shut up, R, you would miss me too much if I were gone’ She bumps Grantaire affectionately as she passes him to walk around to the other side of the car, smiling before opening the door and ducking her head under the frame to climb in.

‘I would miss your cooking, you mean’

‘Keep telling yourself that’ she sings from the car while Grantaire lets Marius in to shimmy across to the middle seat.

Courf comes up behind Grantaire and claps him on the back, ‘Once more unto the breach, mate’

‘I hate you’

Once they have all gotten in the car and the three across the  back have wriggled enough so that they all fit somewhat comfortably, Jehan turns to his passengers, ‘Play nice, children.’ He turns the key in the ignition and pulls away from the curb.

‘As long as we can listen to my music’ Courfeyrac says, pulling out his iPod.  Grantaire groans, making Courfeyrac swing around and smile mischievously

‘Courf, stop with the pedo face’ Marius tells him

‘Still get to listen to my music though’ Courfeyrac says, facing the front again and plugging in his music to Jehan’s player, choosing some strange foreign dance album and turning up the volume.  Grantaire groans once more, resting his forehead on the window, and considers how much would it really hurt if he were to jump out of the car right now?

‘First stop: Enjolras and Combeferre’s!’ Jehan shouts over the music and Courf’s slightly out-of-tune singing – well, less singing, more sounds-in-time-to-the-music-and-vaguely-matching-the-words.

Ten minutes later they are pulling up in front of Combeferre and Enjolras’ building and Jehan turns off the car, leaving Courf awkwardly singing for a second after the music stops

‘HEY!’

They all get out of the car and Cosette presses the buzzer for their friends’ apartment. ‘You guys ready yet?’ she asks when Combeferre greets her over the intercom.

‘Almost.  _Somebody_ decided to check their emails just as we were ready to leave and realised that there was some important and urgent business to attend to’  Those waiting out the front could almost feel Combeferre’s eye roll.  He sighs, ‘Come on up – it will probably be a couple more minutes’

The door is unlocked and they all enter, heading to the elevator to the third floor.  As they reach the door, Grantaire can hear Combeferre bargaining with Enjolras.

‘Enj, come on!  It’s one day and the world isn’t going to end because you haven’t replied for a couple of hours’

‘Ferre, this is important!’

The door swings open as Combeferre almost growls in frustration.

‘Good morning, Enjolras, what cause are we advocating today?’ Grantaire says cheerfully as he walks in, effectively announcing himself.  Courfeyrac behind him shoots a glance at Jehan, and Eponine, sitting across from where Enjolras is perched with his laptop, drops her head on the table.

‘You’re awake and dressed early today’ is all Enjolras says, not looking up from his work.

Combeferre looks at Grantaire, pleading for some help.  Grantaire walks up to Enjolras, trying really hard not let his eyes linger too long on the way Enjolras’ fingers move gracefully across the keyboard, or the way his hair is falling slightly in front of his eyes due to him forgetting to have a haircut again. ‘If I’m up and clothed this early and willing to go skipping through country meadows then you sure as hell can come too,’ he says

Enjolras glances up from under his eyelashes at R.  _Fuck, I am not attracted to that_ , Grantaire tells himself, _I’m not attracted to his eyelashes for Christ’s sake!_

Grantaire leans closer to Enjolras and smirks, ‘You won’t deprive us all of our gallant leader prancing meadows with the grace of a gazelle, will you?’ Enjolras narrows his eyes. 

_Definitely not attractive.  Not at all.  Nope._

‘Grantaire!  You supposed to be helping not hindering!’ Eponine whines, head still on the table.

‘I am helping,’ Grantaire replies just as Combeferre comes up behind his flatmate and whispers, ‘Sneak attack!’, snatching the laptop and closing it, avoiding Enjolras’ grabbing hands.

‘ _We leaving_ ’ Combeferre tells Enjolras, putting in his do-not-argue-or-else voice.  Enjolras has no choice but to agree as he stands up and head to the door to grab his coat.  He is wearing Grantaire’s favourite shirt, Grantaire notices, the red v-neck that is much too form fitting to be legal.  _Bastard,_ is all Grantaire can think.

‘Let’s go then’ Enjolras says begrudgingly and thoroughly unimpressed as he gestures at the front door.

‘Hurrah!’ Courfeyrac cries from the couch he planted himself in when they arrived and jumps up.  ‘Still shotgun!’

‘Good luck with that’ Eponine says, nodding her head at Courfeyrac as he bowls past Enjolras out the door.

 

 

***

 

 

All getting into their respective cars and drive off, Combeferre following Jehan’s lead, Courfeyrac pulls out his phone and calls Feuilly, ‘We’re at Combeferre and Enj’s still.  Enjolras was being Enjolras for a little bit.  Yeah, heading to your’s now.  ETA five minutes.  Yup.  Courf out!’

‘You’re a dag, Courfeyrac’ Jehan says

‘I’m super cool, don’t deny it’ he replies, finding Joly’s number next and ringing it.  Bossuet answers, telling Courfeyrac that they are a couple of minutes away from Feuilly’s too.  ‘Awesome, see you soon guys!’

Feuilly and Bahorel are waiting out the front of their place when the three cars arrive so they all shout greetings at each other from their seats and the two other men get in their car ready to follow along in the convoy as well.

‘We have snacks!’ Joly shouts.  Bossuet gives them all the thumbs up.  Joly’s cooking isn’t Cosette’s cooking, but it’s still pretty darn good (as long as you don’t actually have to experience the process with Joly.  The mantra is touch nothing, clean and disinfect everything.)

 

 

***

 

 

‘Man, we should have walkie talkies!’ Bahorel whines over the phone to Grantaire, ‘Do we know where we are going yet?’

‘Jehan is still pondering our destination’ Grantaire replies, putting Bahorel on speaker phone as Bahorel does the same in his car.  At least, it forces Courfeyrac to turn down his music.

‘I want to find a place that feels right’ Jehan justifies

‘Are your spidey-senses tingling yet?’

‘Not yet - give it ten more minutes’

‘Aye-aye, captain’ Bahorel says as he hangs up.  Looking in the rear-view mirror he can see Bahorel salute at him from the car behind.  Jehan snorts, causing Courf to cock an eyebrow at him. When Jehan waves a hand at him, telling him not to worry, he shrugs and turns his music back up.  This time the groan comes from not only Grantaire, but Marius and Cosette as well.

 

 

***

 

 

Ten minutes turns into half an hour until Jehan finds the right spot for their impromptu roadtrip/impromptu picnic thanks to Joly’s snacks.

They all pile out of the cars, thankful to be out of the cramped space after two hours of driving.

‘Courf, I’m not sure if I’m ever getting in a car with you again’

‘Fuck off, you love me’

 

Grantaire finds a spot under a tree to stretch out and try falling asleep while Eponine, Courfeyrac and Jehan run around and tackle each other on the grass.

‘Our friends are infants’ comes a familiar voice next to his ear.  Grantaire’s whole body tightens and he prays to god that the tension isn’t that obvious.  Who is he kidding?  Enjolras wouldn’t notice.

Grantaire keeps his eyes closed, ‘That they are.  Still don’t know why we keep them around’

‘Amen,’ Enjolras chuckles

Grantaire loves the sound of Enjolras’ laugh.  It’s so rare – too rare – it’s like a unicorn.  Most of the time is soft and only lasts a second, but Grantaire’s stomach lurches every time he hears it and feels like his heart will leap out of his chest whenever it is him that makes their resident Greek God laugh.

Enjolras turns to look at the man beside him, flashing a smile of perfectly white and straight teeth.  Grantaire thinks that if that was the last thing he ever saw on Earth, he could die happy.

The moment is broken when Cosette calls everyone over to the rug she has laid out on the grass – Joly unpacking Tupperware containers of slice and sandwiches.  Courfeyrac woops and dives onto the rug.

‘Courfeyrac, don’t get the grass everywhere!’ Joly yells worriedly at him, shielding the food.

Grantaire sighs and stands, holding a hand out to Enjolras to help him up.  For once, Enjolras accepts the assistance.  The hand in Grantaire’s is smooth and clean – unlike his own calloused hand, covered in the paint he had been mixing and using into the early hours of the morning.  Absent-mindedly, he strokes a thumb across it.  Enjolras, now in a standing position in front of Grantaire, lets out a gentle cough, breaking Grantaire’s revelry and causing him to let go of Enjolras’ perfect white hand like he has been burned.  This sudden movement results in a small eyebrow raise from the other man which Grantaire meets with a small guilty look.  Enjolras takes a step closer to Grantaire bumping him gently with his shoulder, ‘Come on, R, there’s actual food over there – we should eat some before Combeferre, Courf and Bahorel scoff it all’.

 Grantaire feels like slamming his head into the tree trunk in front of him but he follows Enjolras as he makes his way over to the group.

 _I will always be following_ , he thinks.

The others clear a space on the rug for the two newcomers, Enjolras placing himself between Combeferre and Courfeyrac and Grantaire on the other side of the spread next to Eponine and Cosette.  Eponine reaches across and grabs one of the bottles of wine they have brought with them for the day and passes it to Grantaire before snatching same small sandwiches – cut into perfect little triangles by Joly – out from under Courfeyrac and Combeferre’s protective arms where they are hoarding the food, giving them too to Grantaire.

‘Eponine, you are a goddess,’ Grantaire tells her with a kiss to the cheek, shoving a whole triangle into his mouth and opening the bottle.

‘Just leave some of that for the rest of us’ Cosette smirks, gesturing to the wine

‘Of course, my dear, I wouldn’t dream of monopolising the alcohol,’ Grantaire winks.  Cosette narrows her eyes – she knows that’s exactly what he intends to do.

‘Courfeyrac,’ she says, turning to the man currently trying to discover how many pieces of slice he can fit into his mouth at once, ‘I’m relying on you and Bahorel to make sure he doesn’t drink it all – if anyone won’t stand for not getting any, it’s you two’

Courfeyrac attempts to speak but instead manages to spit out half of his mouthful, making Joly as he watches crumbs fall all over the immaculately set out blanket (Bossuet simply grabs one of his hands and begins to stroke his boyfriend’s hair with the one that is free, whispering soothing words in his ear), and gestures for Bahorel to answer for him.

‘Your wish is our command and pleasure,’ he says with a mock bow.

Grantaire rolls his eyes as he pours himself a large glass of it and places it back in the middle, ‘Happy?’

‘Very’, Enjolras says simply, looking Grantaire in the eyes.  The tightness in his chest causes him to drink half the wine in his much too small glass in one.  He regrets putting the bottle back as he watches the others pour themselves some.  There will never be enough booze in the world to relieve that feeling from Grantaire – that tightness, that feeling like he can’t breathe, like someone is constantly sitting on his chest and crushing him.

_Fucking Enjolras._

 

_***_

After the eating part of the picnic is over, all the food being demolished and Courfeyrac even eating all the little crumbs from the Tupperware containers, they all just laze around in a partial food coma.  Grantaire stretches out with his head in Eponine’s lap, lying on his back with his eyes closed, as she runs her fingers through his hair.  The serenity comes over him that is always the result of someone touching his hair; and on top of that Ponine just has magic fingers.  Occasionally they rub at his scalp and it’s probably the best feeling in the world.  The only one that could top it would be if it were Enjolras’ hands running through his inky curls. Enjolras’ lips on his, warm and red and swollen from kissing.  The feeling of Enjolras’ hands on him, clasping at his hips and toying with the bottom of his shirt and the top of pants.

 _Oh for fuck’s sake,_ Grantaire mentally scolds himself.

Eponine playing with his hair was definitely the most realistic best feeling in the world and he needs to be content with that.  Grantaire rolls onto his side and throws and arm over Eponine’s legs, snuggling into her warmth, causing Eponine to laugh and scratch behind his ear, ‘God R, you were either a puppy or a kitten in a previous life.’  He turns his head, opens one eye and smiles at her.  She winks at him and nods her head, wanting Grantaire to look at the scene in front of him.

When he does he isn’t sure whether to regret it or not.  Combeferre, Courfeyrac and Enjolras are all lying on their backs, asleep.  They have formed a little triangle and have arranged themselves to be at least semi-comfortable.  Enjolras has his head resting on Combeferre’s stomach, looking vulnerable in a way that only comes with sleep, his hand holding a little clump of Combeferre’s t-shirt.  Combeferre has one arm behind his own head with the other resting on Enjolras.  Courf has curled himself with his head on Enjolras, a little away from where Combeferre’s hand is residing. 

Marius pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of them.

It is one of the cutest things Grantaire has seen – the three of them together, looking carefree and content in their slumber.  It’s so cute it hurts.  Literally.  He wants nothing more than to be in Combeferre’s position, with the golden head of his god lying on him, close enough that he could feel the warmth of Enjolras’ breath and have the delicate hand wrapped in his shirt.

Grantaire squeezes his eyes shut again and lets out an involuntary sigh.  Eponine tuts once at him and resumes stroking his hair, knowing how much it hurts to watch someone you love from a distance – it’s a pain she remembers well.  She looks over at Cosette and Marius lying next to each other on the grass, Marius leaning over every now and then to place a gentle kiss on his love’s lips.  There was a time that that was all she wanted in the world.  Now, she can only smile that her friend’s are so happy together; glancing at Combeferre she can think of things other than Marius these days.

 

 

***

 

 

Eventually the sun begins to fall in the sky, the world taking on a dull orange glow that Grantaire would love to recreate on canvas.  Inevitably, Joly speaks up when he realises that everyone, despite the drop in temperature, is still content to lie around and watch Bahorel case Feuilly around (Feuilly had thought it funny to wake Bahorel.  Bahorel begs to differ.)

‘Guys, we’re all going to catch a cold if we stay out in this,’ he says, an almost desperate tone to his voice

‘Love...’ Bossuet begins

‘No, he’s right,’ Enjolras says, standing up with a groan and brushing blades of grass from his clothes.

‘Enjjjjjjjjjjjjjj’ Grantaire whines, still in Eponine’s lap

Combeferre is up too and comes over, holding out a hand to help Eponine up.  She accepts, and Grantaire rolls of her lap and just lies face down on the ground, letting out one very pronounced huff.

‘You all suck,’ he says, muffled by the ground before pushing himself up with his arms and standing.

Jehan laughs, ‘We can do this again R’

‘Definitely.  It was a lovely idea, Jehan,’ Cosette says, appearing at Jehan’s side and stepping on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

They slowly pack everything up and head back to the cars, Courfeyrac dumping everything in the back of Combeferre’s car somewhat unceremoniously.  When they have all climbed back into their respective cars, Grantaire places his head on the door frame and closes his eyes, hoping to fall back asleep for the drive home.

These hopes are shattered by the sounds of Courfeyrac’s music turning on.  Grantaire smacks his forehead on the door frame instead and glares at Courf, who only smiles serenely in return.  Grantaire sticks his tongue out at his friend and looks out the window as the green country fades away and is replaces by city noise and buildings.

He and Jehan are the last to get home after dropping of the other three in the car.  It is reasonably late by the time they have climbed the stairs and opened their front door.  Grantaire pats Jehan once on the shoulder as he passes him, making a beeline for his bedroom and collapses face first on the bed.  Sure, Grantaire usually isn’t tired by now – he’s probably on about his third drink on a normal night – but the early morning has shattered him and he falls asleep without as much trouble as he is used to.

Though apparently being excruciatingly tired doesn’t stop him from dreaming of a certain stupid blonde man and his stupid beautiful everything. 

**Author's Note:**

> PS come and say hi on Tumblr!  
> putthatbottledowngrantaire.tumblr.com
> 
> Prompts, ideas, thoughts or just chats - I get bored at Uni... HELP  
> Messages are like unicorns and I will love you for all eternity


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